Often lampooned as ‘crazy cat ladies’, animal hoarders are no laughing matter. They are psychologically disturbed individuals whose behavior hurts the animals that they possess, their community, and themselves. Animal hoarders have a near 100% recidivism rate and cost municipalities tens of thousands of dollars per case.

What Qualifies as An Animal Hoarder?

Animal hoarders are individuals who refuse to accept that their behavior endangers their own health, the health of others that live with them, and the animals in their ‘care’. They can accumulate animals passively or actively, depending on the extent of their mental illness, and they tend to have a strong belief that only they are the ones capable of sufficiently loving and caring for the animals in their charge. Most are resistant to changing their habits, though those hoarders who passively collect animals are more likely to be responsive to reason than those who actively collect animals. Animals living with hoarders tend to be malnourished, overcrowded, sick, and psychologically affected by their overcrowded conditions. The homes in which they live are usually squalid, overrun with pests, and polluted with animal waste. It is not unheard of for the houses of animal hoarders to be condemned and demolished due to the extent of damage that the animal overcrowding creates.

Three Type of Hoarders

Overwhelmed Caregivers

Overwhelmed Caregiver Hoarders are typically senior citizens or other adults who suffer from loneliness, physical infirmity, and/or the loss of a loved one. For these folks, animal possession begins normally enough, but slowly snowballs out of control as the individual becomes more isolated, more closely focuses on their role as caregiver to their pets, and increasingly takes in animals that they believe are in need. Overwhelmed Caregivers are usually on a fixed income or find themselves in a situation where they no longer have the money and time that they once had to manage their animal population. Of the three groups of hoarders, Overwhelmed Caregivers are most likely to be honest with animal cruelty investigators, to open their homes to inspection, and are more open to reason from outside responders.

Rescuer Hoarders

These individuals are typically driven by an ideology that all animals should be saved and that they are the most qualified person to do the job. Rescuer Hoarders actively try to acquire animals and are more likely to try to hide their hoarding habits. They can try to mask their hoarding by seeing multiple vets and being secretive about letting others into their homes. Smart and manipulative, they are resistant to reasoning and insist that their hoarding behavior is normal for them and their circumstances.

Exploiter Hoarders

The most severe of the hoarding groups, these individuals collect animals as part of a self-serving psychosis. Animals in their care can be tortured, starved and otherwise abused. Exploiter Hoarders are usually extremely manipulative and savvy about hiding their habits. They are prone to lying, stealing, and other sociologically inappropriate behaviors all as a way of keeping their hoarding habits a secret and ongoing.

Costs of Animal Hoarding

Animal hoarding costs municipalities tens-of-thousands of dollars per case with some price tags reaching $100,000.00 or more. In a typical hoarding situation, a number of civic services may be called to action including adult protective services, child protective services, code responders, policemen, firemen, animal control officers, the district attorney, the public defender, emergency medical system responders, competency evaluators, and the court system. Additionally there is the arduous and expensive task of removing animals from hoarding situations, finding them shelter, and providing them medical treatment.. Lastly animal hoarding can significantly impact the value of any real estate involved and create unsafe and unsanitary conditions for those that live in and around the dwelling in which the hoarder resides.

Society’s Ineffective Response to Animal Hoarding

A major problem with animal hoarding is society’s response to it. Almost always, animal welfare organizations are the first and only responders, but removing animals from a hoarding situation is only treating one symptom of a much bigger issue at the center of which is the hoarder’s mental illness. Animal hoarders are not cured by indictment, by efforts to clean up their homes, by news broadcasts about their actions, or by taking away their animals. Without proper psychological and medical care, hoarders have a nearly 100% rate of recidivism and eventually return to the habit of hoarding.

Effects of Hoarding On Animals

Animals housed in a hoarding environment are often ill and malnourished. Living with so many other animals leaves them perpetually anxious and a lack of food causes the animals to stress and fight. Sometimes animals rescued from hoarding situations can be saved, but many end up euthanized because there is no place to house them, because they are too ill to be treated cost effectively, or because they have severe behavioral issues that prevent them from being adopted.

Efforts in Rockland County to End Animal Hoarding and Abuse

Rockland County has a robust program to stop animal hoarding and to address it properly. In 2011 Rockland County unanimously approved an animal cruelty registry, the second of its kind in the entire United States. The registry, hosted by the Sheriff’s Department, lists the names and faces of all convicted animal abusers for four years after their offense. The Hudson Valley Humane Society responds to an average of 20 animal abuse cases per month and takes animal cruelty, abuse and hoarding very seriously. Staffed with NY State certified Peace Officers, the organization retains the right to decide if cases should be tried civilly or criminally. In the organization’s words:

“There is a high statistical correlation between cruelty and abuse of animals, and, cruelty and abuse of humans. All known serial killers enjoyed abusing animals as children. We do not regard children injuring or abusing animals as harmless “pranks”. Our agents take this message to schools, government agencies, police departments and civic organizations.”

Here’s what the ASPCA website says you should do if you suspect an animal hoarding case:

Contact social service groups. Your local department of the aging, adult protective services, health departments and other mental health agencies may be able to provide services or links to services.

Reassure the animal hoarder that it’s okay to accept help. Animal hoarders are usually worried that their animals will be killed or that they will never see them again. Regardless of the outcome, assure them that the animals need urgent care and that immediate action is necessary.

Volunteer your time. With the removal of so many animals from a hoarding situation, the burden on local shelters can be staggering. Volunteer your time to help clean cages, socialize animals, walk dogs and perform other such necessary duties.

Keep in touch. It may be appropriate for animals to be spayed and neutered and returned to their home if an animal hoarder can provide—or can be aided in providing—care. Under the guidance of an organization, help the individual with daily animal care chores. And if the individual acquires new animals, help ensure that they are spayed/neutered and vaccinated.

Erin, an upbeat twenty something woman lives as a resident on one of these islands, a postage stamp of land 40 miles east of the Honduras called Utila. It’s there that she works at a diving resort and where she fell in love with one of these resident island dogs.

She named the dog Vicky who she met while she was working with other locals to help dogs on the island who were infected with heartworm disease. Islanders, like Erin, try to help these dogs get the treatment that they need to beat their sickness, but the cure is problematic. In the case of heartworm disease, getting better can be just as dangerous as getting sick because as the heartworm organisms die in the patient’s body, secondary complications of sepsis, embolism, and anaphylaxis can arise.

In order to understand what next happened, you have to understand a little about heartworm disease. Like Zika and malaria, heartworm disease is transmitted by a mosquito. The mosquito bites an infected patient and during the blood meal ingests microfilaria, the microscopic first stage of heartworm disease. Inside the mosquito, the heartworm goes through two additional stages of development before it is re-injected back into another dog when the mosquito feeds again.

Eat, Love…Poop?

Inside the host (in this case a dog, but cats and even humans can acquire heartworm disease), the heartworm disease molts 2 more times. In its final stage of development, the heartworm is an organism that can be as long as 12 inches in length and live with dozens (sometimes hundreds) of others of its brothers and sisters inside the pulmonary artery. Here they eat, mate and…well…not to be indelicate, but just like all other living creatures they go to the bathroom. The combination of having a large population of worms filling up a major artery, all of them parasitically living off the host, and all of them eliminating in the patient’s body causes the patient to have exercise intolerance and a general feeling of malaise and weakness.

How to kill these worms is not an issue; the medications that are used to treat heartworm disease have been around for years. The problem is, how do you kill the organism without overwhelming the patient’s body with a bunch of dead worms ‘floating’ through his or her circulatory system.

Because Erin had been in touch with Dr. Gittelman at Animal Medical of New City, she understood the risks of medical treatment for Vickie’s heartworm disease and wanted to have the procedure done by Dr. Gittelman and his team who could be responsive if Vickie experienced complications.

How Heartworm Disease is Treated

The first step in treating heartworm disease is a survey of how far along the disease has progressed. Upon examination, Vicky was found to have abnormal lung sounds, to be emaciated (the disease makes patients tired, feeling unwell, and inappetant), to have a chronic, dry cough (secondary to lung problems caused by the heartworms) and radiographs that showed a significant burden of adult worms as demonstrated by a tortuous looking pulmonary artery and an enlarged heart.

The two arrows on the X-ray on the left are pointing at branches of the pulmonary artery, the vessel that transports blood from the heart to the lungs to be oxygenated. The spots indicate that the vessel is misshapen or ‘torturous’, a classic sign of heartworm disease. The x-ray on the right shows the same thing, but from a side view. The shadowy thick line running from the left of the image to the center of the pet is Vicky’s windpipe and the other dark regions are Vicky’s lungs. The small square on the lower right of the image is a marker indicating that this is a view of Vicky’s right side.

Vicky’s medical treatment plan was based on the one prescribed by the American Heartworm Society. Vicky was first placed on a 1-month regiment of doxycycline, an antibiotic often used in the treatment of Lyme disease. Doxycycline has no direct impact on the heartworm itself, but kills an organism inside the heartworm called Wolfbachia, a bacteria that is critical to the heartworm’s well being. Killing the bacteria in the worm, weakens the heartworm and makes it more susceptible to the treatments scheduled later in the medical plan.

The next step is a 2-month regiment of moxidectin, the drug that’s in the same class as the active ingredient in popular heartworm medications like Sentinel. The moxidectin is designed to kill the more juvenile stages of the heartworm disease, especially the earliest stage, the microfilaria or the infants of the adult heartworm. This stage of treatment is designed to eliminate all the worms that are in the stages of growth between when the mosquito first infects the dog and the adult worm itself, plus all the baby heartworms, the microfilaria, that could be sucked up in the next blood meal and go on to infect other dogs.

Now we come to the most critical stage of the treatment plan. We give the patient a drug called melarsomine, a form of arsenic that is designed to be strong enough to kill the worms, but not so strong as to kill the patient. In this stage of treatment, we’re concerned about a number of things: will the dead worms detach from the pulmonary artery, ‘float downstream’ and clog up smaller arteries or damage the lungs? Will the body have a strong immune response to the dead worms and send the patient into shock? Patients during this stage of treatment must be kept from exercising to reduce the threat of blockage from the dying worms and monitored closely for other adverse reactions to the cure.

In the treatment of heartworm disease a total of 3 doses of melarsomine are administered. When treatment is successful, all stages of heartworm disease in the dog’s body have been killed, the dead organisms have been successfully cleaned up by the patient’s immune system and major filtering organs, and the patient is no longer infectious. Heartworm tests subsequent to the treatment should be negative provided the patient has been placed on a heartworm preventative after treatment.

Success!

All better! Vicki returned is back on the island. She’s gained weight, she’s active again, and by the looks of things, she’s reading a book!

With the help of the Animal Medical team, Vicky succeeded in beating heartworm disease. She’s back on the island of Utila looking and feeling better than ever. She’s also on a monthly preventative that keeps her safe from future infections.

In Rockland County, less than 1% of all dogs tested are positive for heartworm disease, but this is due in large part to the widespread use of safe preventatives like Sentinel. Ironically, cats, that typically weather initial heartworm infections well, but who often go on to develop severe breathing complications, show a much higher rate of exposure. In Rockland, roughly 3% of cats test positive for exposure to heartworm disease. Heartworm medications like Revolution that also protect against a number of other parasites are effective at keeping cats safe from infection.

Additional Reading

Asexual

Invader

(But I’ve been called worse)

Sounds like the start of science fiction film, or even our April Fool’s blog about treating a Tribble, but this crawfish is really a mutant, it’s really a clone, and its population has really leaked into the wild where it is growing at an exponential rate.

According to the New York Times, a genetic variant on a North American crawfish is believed to have naturally mutated in a household aquarium in Germany. Once mutated, this 6-inch long arthropod was able to reproduce without a mate, producing hundreds of eggs at a time, all of them fertile, and all of them capable of growing into an exact genetic copy of their mother.

Escapes into Local Waters

The original owner of the mutant, overburdened by so many young crawfish, is believed to have given them away to other aquarium enthusiasts. Soon the species ended up in fish tanks in other parts of Germany, in pet stores, and in a few cases, because they were reproducing so quickly, in local waterways where they were dumped because of their explosive growth.

All Off-Spring Are Female and All Can Reproduce Asexually

Because the creatures are clones, all offspring are female, but this doesn’t stop the species from reproducing. Because all the females share the mutation of their mother, they are all able to reproduce asexually without a male. It’s like a race of Amazon women, except crawfish, where males are unnecessary for the continuation of the species.

In sexually reproducing organisms, like dogs, cats, and people, sex cells undergo a process called meiosis where pairs of chromosomes separate and form haploid cells or cells that contain only one copy of each of the organism’s chromosomes. When creatures mate, their respective sex cells fuse, the cell’s chromosome numbers are returned to their normal diploid number, and the cell is capable of growing into a new adult.

In asexual reproduction, the sex cells go through meiosis, but then recombine to form a diploid cell without the introduction of chromosomes from another creature.

To guard against invasive species, never release turtles, waterfowl, snakes or aquarium fish into the environment. Beyond the fringes of their native habitat, these creatures are free of the natural predators that would normally keep them in check. They compete with native species for food, shelter, and nesting grounds. While you believe that all creatures deserve the right to be free, that freedom can come at a catastrophic cost.

Cannabinoids are chemicals produced by all hemp plants, a group that includes marijuana. There are five major cannabinoids, all of which have been shown to have some therapeutic properties in people and animals. Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the active ‘high’ ingredient in marijuana. Hemp family plants that are cultivated for high levels of THC are called marijuana plants, while the rest are referred to merely as hemp and are typically cultivated for their fiber. Other cannabinoids in hemp plants include cannabidiol, cannabinol, cannabichromene, and cannabigerol. Cannabidiol, or CBD, the active ingredient in ElleVet Mobility, has received a lot of attention from the medical research community because of its ability to reduce inflammation and pain in the body and for its efficacy in treating anxiety and depression. Unlike THC, CBD has no ‘high’ effect and in fact reduces THC’s pychoactive properties.

The veterinarian that led the Cornell study, Dr. Joseph Wakshlag, wrote an enthusiastic letter endorsing ElleVet Mobility to fellow veterinarians who tested the drug at veterinary practices around the United States. Said Dr. Wakshlag: “Over the past 8 months we have conducted a pharmacokinetic and clinical trial on the efficacy of ElleVet Sciences CBD preparation on Osteoarthritis. To date our findings have confirmed that their product is safe and efficacious for pain in dogs with osteoarthritis, chronic joint pain and geriatric pain and soreness with dramatic beneficial effects in our more geriatric patients.” He went on to say, “Considering these very promising initial results, we are continuing our work with ElleVet Mobility examining post-surgical pain, and oncology pain at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.”

ElleVet Mobility is a soft, palatable chew available in two sizes for dogs above and below 50 pounds in weight. The pill also includes glucosamine and chondroitin, two naturally derived chemicals believed to improve mobility in arthritic dogs. The drug is safe to combine with non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) like Rimadyl and Deramaxx, but can only be prescribed through a veterinarian. As a reminder, all patients that take NSAIDS routinely to manage arthritis should have a blood test every 6 months to ensure that the drugs are not damaging vital organs like the liver or kidneys. ElleVet Mobility is non-addictive, does not get dogs ‘high’, and cannot be abused by humans, but like any medication should be kept out of reach of children and handled responsibly. If you have an arthritic dog that you believe would benefit from this drug or any other treatment, please reach out to us. Animal Medical has been successfully managing arthritis in patients for 30 years. In addition to treating arthritis with medication, we also utilize cold laser therapy, acupuncture and physical therapy, all as a part of the multi-modal approach to pain management offered by our Physical Medicine Department led by Dr. Lisa Schenkel.

Holidays aren’t just for people any more. A 2012 study by the American Veterinary Medical Association showed that 30% of pet owners buy presents for their pets. That got us to thinking…’what gifts do our Animal Medical of New City vets think are best?’

Huh? Bear with me. You know how your dog eats out of your cat’s bowl or how one cat hogs his food and the food of your other cat? Well this device solves that problem The food is locked inside of the glass lid pictured below. When the cat that ‘belongs’ to the food bowl sticks its head through that white arch, the food bowl senses the microchip and opens for the cat (a microchip is required for this thing to work…if your cat doesn’t have a microchip, you can click here for more information). When the cat leaves, the lid closes again, locking Tubby Tabby or Fat Fido out of the bowl. Neat, huh?

If you’re sold on the idea of a microchip activated pet feeder, a pet door that only swings open for your pet should be a no brainer. In this case, the door isn’t activated by a microchip, but a ‘smart key’ that you attach to your dog or cat’s collar. Installation is pretty straight forward and the product comes with live support to help you past any unseen installation bugaboos. Oh, and not to be a nag, but if your pet is running in and out of the house whenever she feels like it, she really, really, really, really should have a microchip, flea and tick protection, and, if we’re talking a cat here, she should have an Felv vaccine. Questions? Call us.

During this charitable season, you might want to do something nice for the stray cats in your neighborhood. We like this cat shelter because its affordable and heated! We suggest putting a blanket in the bottom of it to keep it clean. You can also put wood chips in the bottom. The chips (as opposed to straw) are absorbent and will also insulate the cat better after they tuck in for the night. If you are trying to manage a stray cat population in your area, please reach out to us for help for ideas and resources that will be of help. Remember that your indoor kitties should have NO contact with any feral cats in your neighborhood. IMPORTANT: If your pet is sick, do not place him or her on a heating pad. Very sick animals may not be able to move. Prolonged heat in any area of a pet’s body can cause serious damage to the pet’s skin.

Okay, here’s a guilty confession. We like dressing our pets up for the holidays. Walking your dog in his new outfit is fun (especially when people that walk by tell him how handsome he is!). Here’s a couple of tips when selecting an article of clothing for your dog or cat.

Animal Medical of New City treats Earth’s first ‘Tribble’, a genetically modified organism developed by Dr. Albert Elaboro Fibb at the Weiss Research Center of Cornell University.

Rat-Hamster Cross Will Fight Rodent Infestations

The Tribble, name Uhura, after the Star Trek character who fell in love with the creature on the series’ titular episode, is a genetic cross between a hamster and a rat and was created by Dr. Fibb as an environmentally friendly way to reduce the rat population in urban areas without poisons.

The ‘Tribble’ was microchipped and then x-rayed to confirm the placement and location of the chip. USDA officials required this extra step.

Said Dr. Fibb, “As human populations grow, rat infestations become an ever-increasing problem. For years we’ve been combatting the issue with warfarin-class poisons but these leach into the environment in various ways and are taking a severe toll on non-targeted species like dogs, cats, owls, hawks and snakes. My team and I created the world’s first rat-hamster cross because the hybrid emits a high frequency, ultrasonic noise that non-motified rats find naturally repellent.”

Examined, Spayed, and Microchipped at Animal Medical of New City

Uhura, the rat-hamster mix, presented at animal medical for an examination, a microchip implant, radiographs (x-rays), an ultrasound, and spay procedure, the latter of which was mandated by the US Fish and Wildlife and the USDA as conditional to allowing Dr. Fibb and his team to create the cross.

Animal Medical of New City Provided Laparoscopic Spay

“It’s extremely important that we don’t end up with two problems instead of one”, remarked Yertu Gulluble of Fish and Wildlife. These creatures will be released in trial cities like Ithaca, perhaps even in New City itself, before going onto to do their job in Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs. We can’t have them reproducing on their own. It came to our attention that Animal Medical of New City performs laparoscopic spays and our team thought that was ideal for neutering this creature.

Opponents to the Tribble project, none-of-whom are Klingon, are furious. Tony Modalino of the Coalition of Ethical Genetics issued a terse statement through the AP, “They call it a Tribble as a way to endear us to a creature that could have a disastrous impact on our state. Animal Medical should have refused to treat the creature.”

Animal Medical of New City Cites Mission of Service, Care and Joy

In the defense of Animal Medical of New City’s actions, Dr. Howard Gittelman, Medical Director, said, “If there is an animal in need, we do what we can. We are not here to debate policy. This little lady needed our help and we provided it. Besides IT’S APRIL FOOLS AND YOU ALL HAVE BEEN HAD!!!!

Holidays aren't just for people any more. A 2012 study by the American Veterinary Medical Association showed that 30% of pet owners buy presents for their pets. That got us to thinking...'what gifts do our Animal Medical of New City vets think are best?' Pet...

Often lampooned as ‘crazy cat ladies’, animal hoarders are no laughing matter. They are psychologically disturbed individuals whose behavior hurts the animals that they possess, their community, and themselves. Animal hoarders have a near 100% recidivism rate and cost municipalities tens of thousands of dollars per case.

Pet travel just got a whole lot more luxurious! If you’re about to take a trip and want to include Fido or Kitty, here is a great list of entertaining pet spots, resources and travel tips you should know about. Pet Friendly Hotels Many hotels are cashing in on guests...

Originally a client, Dr. Bardari chose to pursue a second career as a veterinarian after being inspired by the unsurpassed care that her pets received by the doctors and staff of Animal Medical of New City.

Dr. Bardari earned her BS in Animal Science and worked for two years in endocrinology research, at Rutgers University, before going on to complete her doctorate at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. She enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine but has a particular interest in shelter animals, completing an externship at Tulsa Animal Welfare before returning to NY.

Dr. Bardari is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Society and the New York Westchester/Rockland Veterinary Medical Association. She worked for several years, in small animal practice, in Manhattan and Rockland County before returning ‘home’ to Animal Medical of New City where it all began.

After completing her degree in electrical engineering and working in her chosen field, Dr. Schenkel returned to school to begin her veterinary education at Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Following her graduation, she completed an internship at Sacramento Animal Medical Group in Carmichael, California and an additional year of practice at the North Shore Animal League Hospital for small animals.

In 2000 she joined the staff at Animal Medical of New City and has become a pivotal member of the staff. She has devoted her career to the care of her patients and the unique bond they share with their owners. She has a special interest in critical care, pain management and surgery.

In 2007 she completed her training in veterinary rehabilitation therapy and became the only veterinarian certified in Rehabilitation Therapy in Rockland County.

A graduate of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Graduate School, Dr. Gittelman began his career as a companion animal veterinarian in a multi-doctor specialty practice in Rhode Island. There he cultivated his interests in emergency medicine and was subsequently appointed Director of Animal Emergency Clinic in Oahu, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The end of his appointment he returned to the east coast and took up residence in New City where he assumed the directorship of Animal Medical of New City, PC. Dr. Gittelman served as the President of the Westchester/Rockland Veterinary Medical Association for four terms and as the Westchester/Rockland delegate to the New York State Veterinary Medical Society’s Executive Board for two four-year terms.

He is also on the medical advisory committee for the Hi-Tor Animal Care Center. His areas of special interest include veterinary dentistry, minimally invasive diagnostic modalities and surgery. He has devoted his career to continuing education, and serving his clients and their pets.